Yarn cones

ABSTRACT

Yarn cones of hollow tapered configuration for supporting yarn at an exterior surface of the cones. The yarn cone has opposed ends one of which is smaller than the other and at the smaller end the yarn cone carries an annular member which projects axially from the smaller end of the cone. In this way when identical cones of this construction are nested the annular member of one cone will engage the smaller end of the body of an adjoining cone to limit the extent of nesting of the cones and thus prevent them from becoming wedged to each other.

0 United States Patent 1151 3,675,871 Heyden [4 July 1 1, 1972 541 YARN CONES FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [72] Inventor: Herbert Frank Heyden, 154 Boulevard, 668,284 3/ 1952 Great Britain ..242/l 18.3

Pelham, NY. 10803 Primary Examiner-George F. Mautz [22] 1969 Attorney-Steinberg & Blake [21] Appl. No.: 883,442

I [57] ABSTRACT 52 US. Cl ..242/118.3, 242/1 l8.l Yam cones of hollow tapered configuration fer supporting [51] 75/10 yam at an exterior surface of the cones. The yarn cone has op- [58] Field of Search ..242/1 18.32, 1l8.3l, 118.3, Posed ends one which is Smaller than and at the 242/118 1 1&1, 8'1 1' 1 1841 1301 smaller end the yarn cone carries an annular member which projects axially from the smaller end of the cone. In this way 56] Reerences Cited when identical cones of this construction are nested the annular member of one cone will engage the smaller end of the UNITED STATES PATENTS bodyof an adjoining cone to limit the extent of nesting of the cones and thus prevent them from becoming wedged to each 2,675,194 4/1954 Steverlynck ..242 1 18.1 omen 3,361,381 1/1968 Livingstone.....-.. ....242/1l8.3 3,450,370 6/1969 Hawkins ..242/l18.32 7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures I 7* b [0 /0b 7\ PATENTEDJUL 1 1 I972 INN-I TOR. HERBERT FRANK HEYDEN Z I z g A TTOR EYS YARN CONES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to yarn cones.

In particular, the present invention relates to hollow tapered yarn cones used for supporting wound yarn at the exterior surface of these cones.

In a well known manner such yarn cones, made, for example, of plastic, are situated on textile machines and the like so that the treated yarn can be wound onto the cones.

Such cones will normally be taken from a supply of cones where stacks of the cones are arranged with the cones in each stack nested one within the other. Because of the thin-walled tapered configuration of these cones, they very readily become wedged to each other, creating considerable difficulty in separation of the individual cones from the stacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to provide a cone construction which will avoid the above drawback.

In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide a cone construction which will reliably prevent wedging of cones one to the next in any stack in which they are located.

Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide cones of the above general type which can readily be individually separated from the stacks in which the cones are located.

In addition, it is is an object of the invention to provide an exceedingly inexpensive cone structure which includes a relatively small integral cone part which hardly increases the cost thereof in order to achieve the desired results.

Also, it is an object of the invention to provide a cone structure which lends itself to use with color identification rings so that at any time cones can be identified.

According to the invention the yarn cone includes an elongated tubular hollow body which is tapered and terminates in a pair of opposed ends one of which is smaller than the other. At its smaller end the body carries a means which is connected to and extends axially from the smaller end of the body to limit the extent to which the bodies can nest with respect to each other and thus prevent wedging of the bodies to each other. This means takes the form of an annular member which is integrally fixed with a hollow tubular body and extends axially therefrom. Thus, when the bodies are nested the annular member at the smaller end of one body will extend into engagement with the smaller end of the next body to limit the extent to which the bodies can become nested together and to prevent wedging of the bodies.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings which form part of this application and in which:

FIG. 1 is a representation of a yarn cone with yarn wound thereon;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation, taken in a plane which contains the axis of the illustrated yarn cones, showing a pair of yarn cones of the invention nested in each other;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation, also in a plane which contains the axis of the cones, illustrating another embodiment of yarn cones of the invention; and

FIG. 4 shows how a yarn cone of the type shown in FIG. 2 can be provided with a color identification ring.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown therein a yarn cone which may have the structure of the invention and which carries in a known way a pineapple 12 of yarn which is wound onto and carried by the exterior surface of the yarn cone 10. Such yarn cones have been made of relatively heavy paper or cardboard, but the yarn cones of the invention are made of any suitable plastic such as polystyrene, polyethylene, polyvinylchloride, etc.

The details of one embodiment of a yarn cone of the invention are illustrated in FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown therein a lower yarn cone body 14 made of any of the above plastics and having the hollow tapered configuration illustrated. Thus, this body 14 terminates in an upper end 16 which is smaller than its lower end 18. In its interior the body 14 may have axially extending strengthening ribs 20, and at its larger bottom end it may be provided with a V-notch 22 so as to receive yarn which may be connected to yarn on another cone. Also, the elongated hollow tubular body 14 may have an exterior surface formed with fine annular grooves 24 arranged one next to the other and forming either independent grooves or a continuous helix, to facilitate frictional engagement between the yarn 12 and the exterior surface of the body 14 of the cone 10. The cone 10a of FIG. 2 is shown receiving the cone 10b in its interior.

According to the invention the smaller end 16 of each of the cones 10a and 10b, which are identical, is provided with a means 26 for limiting the extent to'which the cones can nest, one with respect to the other. This means 26 takes the form of an annular member 28 of cylindrical configuration and of constant diameter extending axially from the smaller end 16 of the cone body 14. It will be noted that the annular member 28 is fixed at one end only to the smaller end of the cone and otherwise is free of and spaced therefrom. In the illustrated example these members 28 of each cone extend into the interior of the cone toward the larger end 18 thereof. When the cones are molded the means 26 are integrally molded therewith, so that hardly any additional cost is involved in providing the cones with the means 26 of the invention. Because of the cylindrical configuration and axial extension of the annular members 28, and because of the particular length which is given to them, they will terminate in free ends 30. The arrangement is such that the free end 30 of one cone body will engage the smaller end 16 of the adjoining cone body. Thus, the free end 30 of cone 10a will engage the smaller end 16 of cone 10b in the example illustrated in FIG. 2. As a result of this arrangement, although the means 26 is relatively short, so that it does not result in any substantial increase in the space occupied by a stack of cones, nevertheless the extent to which the cones can nest with respect to each other is limited so that they cannot become tightly wedged together and thus can easily be separated.

In the embodiment of the invention which is shown in FIG. 3, the cones 40 each have hollow tubular bodies 42 identical with the bodies 14 of the cones of FIG. 2. These cones also are made of the same plastic and are molded in one piece with a means 44 which serves the same function as the means 26. However, in this case the means 44 takes the form of an elongated annular member 46 which extends from the smaller end 48 of each body 42 away from the larger end thereof so as to terminate in an end 50 which is further from the larger end of the cone than the smaller end 48 thereof. With this arrangement also it will be noted that when the cones 40a and 40b are nested, the free end 50 of the means 44 of one cone, namely the cone 40a in the example illustrated in FIG. 3, will engage the smaller end 48 of the next cone so as to limit the extent to which the cones will nest one within the other and thus prevent wedging engagement thereof.

Referring to FIG. 2, the pair of identical cones illustrated therein are axially displaced one with respect to the other by the distance b which is indicated in FIG. 2. The length of the means 26 which is the distance b is substantially equal to a distance measured along the axis from the base of the inside cone 10 b to a transverse plane, the plane being taken through the pair of cones at a location wherein the largest inside diameter of the outer cone 10a is slightly greater than the adjacent outside diameter of the inner cone 10b. These identical cones, if they were not provided with the structure of the present invention, would nest against each other in wedged relationship, and under these conditions the axial displacement of the pair of illustrated nested cones one with respect to the other would have the magnitude a. Thus, it will be seen that with the structure of the present invention the nesting of the cones is limited in such a way that the axial displacement of the cones one with respect to the next is just the slightest distance greater than the distance by which the cones would be axially displaced if they were in wedged engagement with each other. Therefore, with the structure of the invention the additional space occupied by the nested cones is only slightly greater than the space which would be occupied by the cones without the structure of the present invention, and at the same time the undesirable wedging of the cones one to the next is reliably avoided. It is to be noted that this same result is achieved with the embodiment of HO. 3 where the means 44 also has the axial length b which is just slightly greater than the extent to which a pair of adjoining nested cones would axially displaced from each other when in wedged engagement.

FIG. 3 also shows how the exposed means 44 of a cone can receive an identification ring 60. This is a simple ring of plastic or the like having a color which serves to identify the cones. The ring 60 has at one end a flange 62 and has an elongated cylindrical portion 64 which can be slipped into the means 44 with the flange 62 engaging the end 50 in the manner shown in FIG. 3 so that the color of the identification ring 60 is visible enabling an easy identification to be made.

As is apparent from FIG. 4, each cone can also receive an identification ring 70 identical with the ring 60 except that it'has axial slots 72 and springy lower lip 74 which can snap under the inner end of means 26. Thus, the ring 70 forms a color identification enabling the particular cones 10 to be identified.

it will thus be seen that with the above relatively simple structure of the invention it becomes possible, at an extremely low cost with a relatively small addition molded integrally with the cone at the same time that the remainder of the cone is molded, to achieve a construction which will reliably prevent wedging of the cones when they are nested, and at the same time it is possible for the cones to receive the identification rings 60 or 70 referred to above.

In both embodiments the means 26 and 44 are spaced inwardly from the side wall of the cone so that there are no projections at the inner surface of one cone which can undesirably dent the outer surface of the next cone.

What is claimed is:

1. A yarn cone stack comprising at least two identical elongated hollow tapered yam cone bodies each body having a side wall provided with an exterior yarn-supporting surface and each body terminating in a pair of opposed ends one of which is smaller than the other, and elongated means carried by each said body at said smaller end thereof and extending axially from said smaller end of each said body, said elongated means being fixed only at one end to said smaller end of each said body and otherwise being free of and spaced from said side wall thereof for limiting the extent to which said bodies can nest axially with respect to each other, the length of siad elongated means being substantially equal to a distance measured along the axis from the base of the inside cone to a transverse plane, said plane being taken through the stack at a location wherein the largest inside diameter of the outer cone is slightly greater than the adjacent outside diameter of the inner cone, to prevent frictional wedging of said stack of said bodies which are nested axially without any substantial increase in the space occupied by said stack of axially nested bodies.

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein each said elongated means means is of an annular configuration and has said one end situated at said smaller end of each said body and an opposed end distant from each said body for engaging the smaller end of an adjoining body.

3. The combination of claim 2 and wherein each said means is integral with each said body.

4. The combination of claim 3 and wherein each said body and means are made of a single unitary plastic wall structure.

5. The combination of claim 2 and wherein said annular means extends from said smaller end of each said body into the interior thereof toward said lar er end thereof.

6. The combination of claim and wherein said annular means extends from said smaller end of each said body away from said larger end thereof.

7. The combination of claim 2 and wherein a color identification ring extends into said annular means and is carried by each said body at said annular means. 

1. A yarn cone stack comprising at least two identical elongated hollow tapered yarn cone bodies each body having a side wall provided with an exterior yarn-supporting surface and each body terminating in a pair of opposed ends one of which is smaller than the other, and elongated means carried by each said body at said smaller end thereof and extending axially fRom said smaller end of each said body, said elongated means being fixed only at one end to said smaller end of each said body and otherwise being free of and spaced from said side wall thereof for limiting the extent to which said bodies can nest axially with respect to each other, the length of siad elongated means being substantially equal to a distance measured along the axis from the base of the inside cone to a transverse plane, said plane being taken through the stack at a location wherein the largest inside diameter of the outer cone is slightly greater than the adjacent outside diameter of the inner cone, to prevent frictional wedging of said stack of said bodies which are nested axially without any substantial increase in the space occupied by said stack of axially nested bodies.
 2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein each said elongated means means is of an annular configuration and has said one end situated at said smaller end of each said body and an opposed end distant from each said body for engaging the smaller end of an adjoining body.
 3. The combination of claim 2 and wherein each said means is integral with each said body.
 4. The combination of claim 3 and wherein each said body and means are made of a single unitary plastic wall structure.
 5. The combination of claim 2 and wherein said annular means extends from said smaller end of each said body into the interior thereof toward said larger end thereof.
 6. The combination of claim 2 and wherein said annular means extends from said smaller end of each said body away from said larger end thereof.
 7. The combination of claim 2 and wherein a color identification ring extends into said annular means and is carried by each said body at said annular means. 